For those who don’t remember, I am going to take the MCAT and have scheduled to take it on September 23rd. I have been studying – with the limited time that I have – and decided to do a practice exam this Monday. I used a full length Kaplan exam and took the test under timed conditions. My score was a 497. This was not a surprise as I was expecting to receive a score somewhere between 495 and 500. This score gives me some hope since I have seen students who have done well on the MCAT (510’s – 520’s) score around this on their first practice exam.
Here is a breakdown of each section:
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: Score = 124
I studied the majority of chemistry, but did so over a month ago and have only gone through about one third of the material that I need for physics. Also, I basically haven’t given any time to biochemistry or organic chemistry. This section was heavy in physics, but I am not going to make any excuses. Several questions required reasoning, critical thinking, and research interpretation skills as well, which is what the MCAT is about. I know that I can do better. I need to finish up physics and review chemistry again. I hope to get at least a 130 in this section.
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: Score = 125
I haven’t been paying much attention to this section which is not a good thing. I was pretty good in verbal reasoning for the old MCAT and I need to do more over the next 2 months to bring myself back up. Reading over the passages, each question, and the responses and explanations showed that I have to shake off the dust and do, at least, a verbal passage a day. I know that my score can increase. I hope to get a least a 130 on the actual exam.
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: Score = 126
I am planning to go through biology in August and will do biochemistry this month. A lot of my wrong answers were related to topics that I haven’t reviewed, but, again, I know that I can do better and won’t make excuses. I hope to get at least a 130 in this section.
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: Score = 122
I know almost nothing about psychology and sociology. I haven’t seen these topics since my college days. I am going to go over this in August when I am doing biology. I have a review book that I hope will help. Doing practice passages is essential as well as I need to be more familiar with psychology and sociology experimental passages. I hope to get at least 130 on this section.
As you can see, I have a lot of areas to improve in, and I know that it is possible. However, I am not going to underestimate this exam. For starters, it was not fun to sit down for an exam that is over six hours long and I was exhausted when I was doing the last section. Going from three to four sections definitely makes this MCAT more challenging. Also, I can’t get too overconfident. My next practice test scores may drop if I am not cautious, so I still have to remember how much work I have to put in.
I will continue to provide updates of my studying and practice exams in my posts and through Twitter (#ReelPremeds) and on Facebook. Study smart and don’t take this exam for granted.